NEW DELHI: The Haryana Government's decision to transfer 15,000 acres of land to a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) was questioned on Tuesday by Congress MP Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of the Pradesh Congress president Bhajan Lal. He demanded that the decision be scrapped or probed.

Mr. Bishnoi, whose brother Chander Mohan is Deputy Chief Minister in the Bhupinder Singh Hooda Cabinet, raised several questions "in the interest of people'' of the State and said the Chief Minister should answer them in order to "clear the stink surrounding the deal''.

The Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) agreement with the industrial house was for developing 25,000 acres SEZ of which 1,500 acres acquired by the State earlier for public good stood transferred.

The Bhiwani MP charged that the decision was "bulldozed'' despite objections from several senior ministers. He said the State Government during May had decided to transfer prime land in Gurgaon district to the SEZ being developed by Reliance Industries Ltd. This land was acquired by the State Government to develop its own SEZ and the price paid to acquire the same was less than the actual market rate.

Stating that even at a conservative price the land was worth Rs.5000 crore, Mr. Bishnoi sought to know why the land acquired to develop the SEZ by HSIDC was given to the Reliance-led joint venture in which the Haryana Government has just 7 per cent share.

"Is it the job of the State Government to acquire land for corporate houses at government rates? Why did the Government not ask Reliance to acquire land on its own for its SEZ?'' he said. He also sought to know the formula adopted to calculate the State Government's equity and the value of the land transferred to Reliance.

Transparent

Meanwhile, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the HSIDC-Reliance agreement was transparent and under it the State was to provide 25 per cent of the land while the industrial house would acquire the rest 75 per cent. "Everything is according to the policy and the Cabinet has cleared it. The people of Haryana know well who are corrupt and who are not''.

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